Volume 30, Ashburton, 1968

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CLIMATE and pasture production in mid-Canterbury have
been discussed by Rickard (1968). Under “dryland” farming
conditions, pasture
of some 110 to 130 aBys when production is very low
reduction is-limited by (1) winters
and (2) dry periods of variable incidence and duration
during the remainder of the year.

CLIMATE, PASTURE PRODUCTION AND
IRRIGATIOND. S. RICKARD

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THE HISTORY of agriculture is mainly a record of man’s
struggle to adapt his farming to the climate in which he
lived, and also of his efforts to become independent of
that climate. It is no accident that many of the myths and
legends of early man were very much concerned with
events closely related to the farming year. Early meetings
of a primitive version of Federated Farmers were possibly
concerned more with ensuring that the sun returned after
mid-winter, with the promise of spring, than with the
barter value of the grain crop.

COMMENTS ON THE ECOLOGY OF GRASS
GRUB AND PORINA CATERPILLARR. P. POTTINGER

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THE OBJECT of this paper is to discuss the ecology of grass
grub, Costelytra zealandica White, and porina, Wiseana
cervinata (Walker), New Zealand’s most important
pastoral insect pests, and to survey what has been achieved
in ecological understanding of these insects. The biology
and ecology of either or both insects have previously been
reviewed by Dumbleton (1942), Miller (1945), Kelsey
(1951a, b) and Hoy (1963). The lack of fundamental
biological information on grass grub (and this is equally
applicable to porina caterpillar) and the need for longterm
team studies were stressed, although little sustained,
co-ordinated research has since eventuated.

CROWN RUST AND PASTURE PRODUCTIONJ. A. LANCASHIRE, G. C. M. LATCH

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THERE is much information available on New Zealand’s
grasslands which indicates the vast difference between
various theoretical plant (Mitchell, 1963) and animal (Hutton,
1963) production potentials and what is actually
achieved in practice. Although these potentials are often
regarded with scepticism, the fact remains that many
research and demonstration farms and top farmers now
produce quantities of animal products per acre which
would have appeared ridiculously high a few years ago.
Further, much grassland research is concerned with the
identification of factors limiting the attainment of these
potentials, as shown by work on treading (Edmond,
1966), nutrient cycling under grazing systems (Sears,
1953), and the optimum stage and intensity of defoliation
of pasture plants (Brougham, 1961).

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PRODUCTION of rhizobium inoculated and coated lucerne
and clover seed was commenced in 1965 by Coated Seed
Ltd. in response to a su
Scientific and Industria
gestion
7
from the Department of
Research that it would be a
profitable undertaking and would serve the needs of the
farming community. Events proved that neither objective
could be easily achieved and it became necessary to investigate
the seed-inoculum-coat complex in relation to
longevity of the rhizobia and to devise manufacturing procedures
which would not only meet the objective of effective
nodulation in the field but would be economic and
provide an acceptable commercial product. In the course
of this work on behalf of Coated Seed Ltd., certain principles
have been defined which are of interest to research
workers and farmers.

GRASSLAND FERTILITY AND CROPPlNGC. C. MCLEOD

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MOST of New Zealand’s soils are inherently infertile and
fertility has had to be built up per medium of clovers,
pasture and grazing animals.
On the pastoral land, nitrogen deficiency is the main
limiting factor to increased production. The key to improvement
lies in the clover plant which has the capacity
to supply enough nitrogen for itself and the requirements
of the associated grasses. At Palmerston North Sears
(1952) found the nitrogen fixed was equivalent to 15 cwt
sulphate of ammonia; in Canterbury, 100 lb, equivalent to
5 cwt of sulphate of ammonia, would probably be a reasonable
annual average.
To utilize the high dry matter produced under favourable
conditions, high stock numbers are required which,
in association with all-year grazing, favours a rapid buildup
of soil fertility.
In turn, high soil fertility enables high-yielding crops
to be grown and this situation exists in most parts of
New Zealand.

GRAZING SYSTEMS ON DAIRY AND23HEEP
FARMSD. I. GLUE

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THE PURPOSE of this paper is to deal with current grazing
methods as practised on high-producing dairy and sheep
farms. While an attempt will be made to give a general
picture of the situation in New Zealand, Northland experience
will be heavily drawn on for several reasons.
Northland has given the highest yearly pasture production
ever recorded in New Zealand; stock are fed almost
entirely on pasture, hay or silage; the high development
of clay in Northland soils and the high rainfall mean that
pasture damage is a constant threat; and, lastly, it is the
district in which the writer works and knows best.

GROWTH OF LUCERNER. H. M. LANGER

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THERE CAN BE few other forage plants which have stimulated
a greater volume of research work than lucerne.
Although part of the reason for this sustained interest
may be its great antiquity as a fodder plant, for lucerne
has a documented history of over 2,000 years, of greater
importance has undoubtedly been its ability to produce
high yields of good quality forage, especially under dry
conditions.

INTRODUCTION TO THE FARMING SCENE
IN MID-CANTERBURYC. P. WHATMAN

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MID-CANTERBURY is bounded on the south by the Rangitata
River, on the north by the Rakaia River, and stretches
from the sea to the Main Divide. The occupied area is
1,300,OOO acres of which 700,000 is improved land comprising
the plains and a narrow belt of foothills, while
the balance, 600,000 acres, consists of the mountain slopes
and inland basins of the high country with a plant cover
OF tussock and associated plants. Ignoring the part-time
farms, the plain is occupied in approximately 1,500 holdings,
giv;ng an average of close to 500 acres, but actual size
varies widely with soil type and other factors.

IRRIGATIONW. R . LOBB

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REFERENCE to irrigation in Canterbury generally implies
flood irrigation, although there is also a very big investment
in sprinkler systems jotted throughout the area
and some mention must be made of these.

PASTURE SEEDS MIXTURES, COMPETITION
AND PRODUCTIVITYW. HARRIS

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THE PRINCIPLES involved in making up a pasture seeds
mixture are many and complicated, and while considerable
attention was paid to these principles in the period
between 1910-30 (e.g., Cockayne, 1914, 1917; Levy, 1923,
1936; Stapledon and Davies, 1927, 1928) development of
other areas of investigation of sward performance have
in recent years tended to overshadow the importance of
the species mixture in determining the productivity of
a sward.

PERFORMANCE AND POTENTIAL USE OF
SUBTERRANEAN CLOVER STRAINS
IN NEW ZEALANDM. L. SMETHAM

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Commenting on the discovery of subterranean clover in
New South Wales in 1896, Mr Maiden, Botanist to the
State Government, wrote : “This is not an introduction
which need render us uncomfortable.” In making this
statement, he could scarcely have foreseen that there
would be an estimated 20 to 30 million acres of sown subterranean
clover pastures in Australia by the 1950s
(Davies, 1952).

PROFITABILITY AND ECONOMICS OF CROPPINGJ.D. STEWART

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THE DATA REQUIREMENTS for an assessment of the profitability
of alternative farm management systems are the
technical rates of substitution of one enterprise for
another, and their price ratios. In a mixed arable system
it is necessary to determine relative yields of cash crops,
stocking rates and stock performance, and to assess the
requirements -of these enterprises for variable and fixed
resources. While the basis of analysis would usually .be
average yields and current or expected prices, it is often
desirable to explore the effect of variation in the critical
parameters.

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PASTURES vary greatly in production from place to place,
from season to season and from year to year. In this review
of grasslands research in Canterbury and North
Otago, the intention is to emphasize these variations and
to identify some of the factors associated with such variations.
In particular, it is intended to illustrate the relationships
between production of clover-based pastures
and lucerne-based pastures and seasonal factors, especially
rainfall.

SEED PRODUCTIONN. L. SHILLITO

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MID-CANTERBURY
is the centre of the main small seed growing area of New
Zealand and the purpose of this paper, is
to show how the growing of these seeds-in particular,
the seeds of herbage species-relates to the general farm
programme; what problems the seed trade is facing at
present; and what might be done to improve the position.
The extent to which herbage seeds contribute to the
total farm income depends on a number of factors, including
soil type, rainfall, nearness to markets and, last
but not least, the personal preference of the farmer.

THE ROLE OF GRASSLAND IN MANAGEMENTS. J. MORROW

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THIS PAPER will describe the role of grassland in the management
of an intensive, heavy land, mixed cropping unit
farmed in conjunction with a block of light land three
miles away. The homestead block of 276 acres was part of
the Longbeach estate and was bought by the Crown in
1950. The writer began farming it in March, 1951. The
soil is a Temuka heavy silt loam with 5 to 8 in. of topsoil
on 15 to 30 in. of clay over shingle and clay. It is extensively
tile-drained by the original Longbeach system but still
has wet gullies which are difficult to drain and a hindrance
to cultivation.

THE ROLE OF GRASSLAND IN MANAGEMENTB.K. CAMERON

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THE PROPERTY to be discussed is a mixed sheep and cropping
unit, situated ei ht
a
miles east of Ashburton and midway
between the Ra aia and the Ashburton rivers. Average
annual rainfall is 27 in., evenly spread, but there is
very high summer evaporation and therefore frequent
droughts. On average, the soil is below wilting point for
40 to 50 days each summer. Winters are cold with the soil
temperature being below 48°F for about four months each
year. The soil is a Lismore stony silt loam averaging 9 in.
in depth over gravel.